Little Red Ridinghood
by Pen Sil
Summary: AU. Another take on the classic story. Oneshot


**Little Red Riding Hood**

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><p>There's a story of a town in which peculiar things always happened and became that of legend. It was an old town with many old families and some were said to have descended from sorcerers. One family in particular was interesting for it was the descendants of the all mighty Clow Reed, a man to have created much and destroyed much, but these people were not known for the destruction but the creation. They had been the ones to create and govern this city for generations and were well loved and protected by all.<p>

But now the only one left was a small girl for her mother had died in childhood and her father and brother had been killed by wolves.

The animals were therefore hated and hunted and killed and even if the last remaining of the Reed descendants did not approve of it. Without her family to support her she had no power over the people who claimed to love her and so she had to live her life the best she could, knowing other people took revenge for her sake.

At least she still had her grandmother, she thought with a small smile.

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><p><strong>I.I<strong>

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><p>"Listen, son," the strict female voice spoke and he looked up from his food.<p>

A wolf is not truly a wolf in his young years and that was why the hierarchy was so engraved in their minds - or so he thought at the time. A Wolf can be a lone wolf or part of a pack, a Clan. That was what he was. The Li clan, an old and magical clan of wolves with human shapes.

"Yes, mother?" he asked.

"You are the last of the Li clan," she said, "and I am old. I will not live for much longer. Your sisters were killed by the hatred in the village beyond and you must not become pray to it. You must become a true wolf and survive."

"Of course, mother," he said and stood, brushing off his pants.

As he did he glanced around at the old room of their honorable home. Time had taken its toll here, but it still held the air of royalty. The castle of the Wolf Clan, forever hidden from the human eye. His home. "What do you want me to do?"

"You have to find the source of the Reed magic I have been sensing from the village," she said, "and you have to extract it by killing the host. As we have always done."

He nodded. "Yes, mother," he said. "I will be back soon."

"Of course," she said. "My beloved, strong, confident, beautiful, son. You are more powerful than you realize and I know you will not fail me." She hesitated here, but then continued. "But, Xiao Lang, if you do not come back before I am dead, be strong, and trust your heart."

He didn't really know what that meant, but he nodded none the less. Ignoring the grief of having to part with his mother, he turned and exited the room.

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><p><strong>I.I<strong>

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><p>She'd learnt to cook in an early age and so she cooked for her grandmother once in a while. She lived with her auntie and best friend inside the city, but her grandmother lived outside the city on a small farm that supported itself.<p>

But her grandmother was sick and she could not always take care of herself anymore, so she made sure to cook for her every day and today was no exception.

"Sakura!" her best friend sang as she exited the house.

Turning back, the young auburn-haired girl greeted her best friend. "Good-morning, Tomoyo," she greeted. "Is something the matter?"

"Are you sure you want to go?" the black-haired girl asked, her big violet eyes filled with worry. "The wolves are still there..."

"Don't worry," Sakura grinned, "I'm not scared, I walk that road each day and I have yet to see a single wolf."

"Um -" Tomoyo hesitated, "if you say so... but -" she added and shoved a red hood into Sakura's free hand "- don't forget your red hood. I made it specifically for you and you look so much cuter in it!"

"Alright-alright," Sakura laughed and pulled on the hood. "Happy?"

"Yes! Now off you go, you know mother want you home before dark."

"Of course!"

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><p><strong>I.I<strong>

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><p>The small wolf was sitting in a tree by the road to the city of the Reed descendant. He wasn't quite sure how to infiltrate the small town of humans without being discovered. He did have ears and a tale even when in human form... Dark would probably be his only friend.<p>

He could see the cows and the sheep and the hens, things he could easily eat, but would be killed for. Even if humans ate them as well. So unfair.

Not that he had any trouble catching his pray. He was a skilled hunter and the magic in his veins helped him as well.

It was that magic that first alerted him to the fact that someone was coming. Then his nose. She smelled good. Not in the I-smell-well-tasting-meat way, but in the what's-that-sweet-smell? way. Then his eyes alerted him.

It was a small brown-haired girl in a red hood. She was walking along the road with a spring in her step and she looked quite comfortable and happy with her surroundings. She looked a little younger than him, and definitely smaller. Fragile and beautiful. Like a flower.

Something was whirling around her and he realized what it was; magic. A golden magic that seemed to illuminate her whole body. But faintly. This... was the descendant of Reed?

Swallowing his doubts he jumped from the branch and landed on his feet with a "Hey!".

Immediately she turned around to meet the voice and he was greeted with bright green yes. "Yes?"

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><p><strong>I.I<strong>

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><p>A weird boy was standing before her on the road. He looked kinda fierce at the same time as insecure. He was wearing a brown hakama and a dark green haori, both looked extremely wornn. She hadn't seen that kind of clothes in a while. His amber eyes were kind, though, she could see it just by looking into them. They were so full of life! And from his messy coffee-brown hair emerged two ears.<p>

As she answered him she noticed that his face lit up and it made her giggle. "Are those... your ears?" she asked.

The response she got was immediate and made her giggle once more for he slapped his hands over his ears to hide them. "Wh-where are you going?" he asked

"To visit my grandmother," she replied brightly. "She lives just down this road by the big oak. She's sick so I make her dinner to make her feel better soon."

"What's your name?" he added bluntly.

"It's Sakura," she answered. "What about yo-"

But he was past her in a second, gone down the road towards the place she had pointed. Something caught her attention;

"Is that... a tail?" she muttered to herself.

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><p><strong>I.I<strong>

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><p>The house had thatched rood and had flowers in the windows. It was white and did not seem to belong in this dark forest.<p>

Syaoran sighed and snuck closer. So this was where Sakura's grandmother lived. What was he even doing here?

He hadn't been able to steal Sakura's powers so maybe... maybe he should take a look at the grandmother to see if she was also a descendant of Reed.

"Who's there?" a warm voice demanded to know and he flinched. How did she know he was there?

"Sa-Sakura said you weren't feeling well," he said lamely.

"Oh! So you're one of her friends? Please come in!"

He gulped and looked around himself to find something to hide his ears with. A bucket caught his eyes and he hurried to put it on his head before entering the house.

Inside the old lady was sitting up in a bed with white linen. She smiled warmly in greeting and asked for his name.

"Syaoran."

"Syaoran? You seem like a funny kid," she said, laughing at his hat. "How is my dear Sakura? Is she doing well?"

"S-She's coming too," he answered, not comfortable with the human at all. "She's bringing you food."

"How nice," she said and smiled, "that child is always caring about everyone around her." Her smile grew sad. "But I haven't chopped firewood at all."

Syaoran glanced at the fireplace and noticed that it had gone cold. Looking back and forth between it and Sakura's grandmother he finally decided. "Can I do it?"

"I'd be very grateful," the old woman said and he squinted at her for a moment. Not one trace of magic. Oh, well.

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><p><strong>I.I<strong>

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><p>Sakura had decided to take a detour to get some flowers for her grandmother and so it was that she came across the hunter on the way back from the meadow. He was a big man who always walked around with a long rifle and one of the people who killed wolves. She liked him when he wasn't killing and so she invited him along for dinner.<p>

The house quickly came into place and she opened the door to it plastering a bright smile across her face. "Grandmother! I came again and I bought stew too!" Looking back across her shoulder she added "Mr. Hunter came too!"

"Oh, my," her grandmother said in her warm voice. "It has been a while."

"It has indeed, ma'am," the hunter said, "I have some grave news," he added as he entered and walked past the girl. "A weird wolf-boy has been running around here lately. Have you see him?"

It was then that Sakura noticed the boy from earlier. Could he have been...?

At that moment the hunter noticed him as well and she saw how the boy's face grew frightened at first, before angry. "Why are you hiding behind that bucket?" the hunter required knowing as he swung his rifle towards the boy. "What are you playing at? Stop pretending to be human!"

Suddenly, to her shock, the boy started sprouting hair and turn into a wolf. But as she watched the hunter point his gun and exclaim triumphantly "now you're showing your true self!" she realized that the boy was still frightened.

"Stop!" she exclaimed and jumped in front of the gun to protect the weird boy she had just met. "He hasn't done anything wrong! Why are you scaring him?"

"But, Sakura, he's a monster!" the hunter exclaimed.

"No! Anyone would be frightened in front of a gun!" she yelled and to her happiness she noticed that he put down the gun.

When she looked over her shoulder the boy had turned back into a human. He was looking down and he was clenching and unclenching his hand. Finally he looked up and his fierce amber eyes caught her ones. "Sakura!" he exclaimed and opened his hand to hers. "Marry me!" his face was red, she noted, very red. "From now on I'll protect you!"

...what?

It took her a moment to register what he had said, before she smiled and said; "Okay! But after that -" she took his hand and smiled up at him "- let's be friends as a start."

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><p><strong>I.I<strong>

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><p>There was a rustling of leaves and the young woman in the meadow twitched slightly, but returned her gathering of flowers. It wasn't often she was here anymore, after all, and she had someone watching over her so she was not afraid.<p>

"Is that the one?" a deep man's voice asked and she heard in his voice that he was slightly drunk.

"Yes," another one, that sounded like the first, but wasn't, said, "it'll be easy to grab her."

She felt her toes curl in fright, but she trusted Syaoran. And she wasn't disappointed for a moment later she heard the roar of a wolf and the scrambling of feet and fearful exclamations.

It had been hard to convince the people in the city to allow her to be with Syaoran - or rather, it had been hard to convince them to not kill him. But he had been so sincere and she had liked him and in her mind that was far better than anything else. Of course, at the time she hadn't thought about love when she had said yes to his proposal. She hadn't known about anything like that, but now... now it was different. She trusted him with her life and she loved him.

He was her husband and she couldn't possibly be without him anymore.

"Sakura!"

She turned, pulled back her hair as she did so, and smiled at him. "Are you okay?"

"Sure," he grinned a wolfy grin. "No problem."

"That's good," she said, and her smile grew, "now come here!"

He easily obeyed her and kneeled in front of her. "What does my lady wish from me," he smiled as he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

He'd grown, had become more handsome over the years, more charming, and he had easily stolen her heart with his fiery amber eyes and protectiveness.

Hiding her blush by looking down at the wreath of flowers she had made for him she lifted it and pulled it around his neck. "For you," she said and smiled brightly.

"Thank you."

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><p>Well, this is pretty AU and based on a manga, but I've always liked this idea more than the traditional. It's cute this way!<p>

I chose these two because I love them and because Syaoran's name in Chinese means "little wolf"

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks to QueenLeach for betaing

- Pen


End file.
